Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
The NHL roster freeze took effect Saturday at midnight and halted work until Dec. 28.
Other organizations arrived before that deadline and made moves to get their AHL rosters in order. The midpoint of the 2025-26 season is a few weeks away, after all. From that point forward, it will be a full run in the second half and towards the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Let’s review some of the biggest changes made in the AHL so far.
Bakersfield Condors accommodations
The case that has already produced became more powerful on December 12th when it went forward Sam Poulin came to the Edmonton Oilers organization in a big deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Bakersfield is averaging 3.56 goals per game so far and is third overall on the power play at 26.5 percent (26-for-98).
But in Poulin, 24, they have someone riding on one of the AHL’s top teams, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, with 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) in 22 contests before the trade. Poulin was a 2019 first-round pick by Pittsburgh as well. He had two assists in his Condors debut at Tucson on Dec. 13. Used on the left side by an impressive rookie. Viljami Marjala at the beginning of his Condors reign. With Quinn Hutson and his 16 goals (second-most in the AHL) while missing Edmonton, Poulin’s arrival is very important to Bakersfield.
Iowa Wild
Minnesota Wild management has shown a willingness to be aggressive by spending a third of the 2025-26 season.
That approach, of course, led to a major trade with the Vancouver Canucks on Dec. 12 which brought a defensive star. Quinn Hughes to Minnesota. But Minnesota has also been looking at potential outlets. One of those efforts came on October 17 when they got the go ahead Oskar Olausson from the San Jose Sharks.
With Iowa trying to get off to a slow start, Olausson figures to be an important part of the lineup. He was used mostly on the left side of the top six and produced nine points (three goals, six assists) in 23 games in Iowa green.
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms
No NHL team has worked harder to rebuild their AHL defense than the Philadelphia Flyers.
TheAHL.com explored those moves in detail earlier this month, as they brought in the Dallas Stars, Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning. Christian Kyrou, Max Guenette again Roman Schmidt in the Philadelphia organization. All three players have settled into the Lehigh Valley blue line.
As usual, the Phantoms find themselves in the middle of the very competitive Atlantic Division. Even with a slight dip of late, they remain firmly in contention. Their 14-11-1-2 record has them seeded third in the division.
Rockford IceHogs
It’s the rookie forwards Oliver Moore again Nick Lardis up with the Blackhawks, the IceHogs were put back in front Rem Pitlic in a trade with Bakersfield last week. Pitlic was with Rockford in 2023-24, he had 33 points (14 goals, 19 assists) in 27 games. He recorded 15 points in 24 games with the Condors before the deal.
Pitlic made an impact in his first game back with the IceHogs, adding a goal and three assists in Saturday’s 7-3 win over Manitoba.
The Springfield Thunderbirds
The Thunderbirds are working to undo the damage of a slow start, and the St. Louis Blues have been active in making changes to the AHL roster.
On November 3, the Blues brought back the defender Calle Rosén from the Washington Capitals. Rosén, one of the AHL’s most proven puck distributors, was part of a Springfield team that went to the Calder Cup Finals in 2022 and won a championship with the Toronto Marlies in 2018.
Springfield averaged just 2.33 goals per game (26th in the AHL) at the time of the deal. In their 16 games since then, the team has scored 2.81 goals per game.
St. Louis also sent forward Nikita Alexandrov to the Los Angeles Kings going forward Akhil Thomas on December 2. Thomas, 25, has yet to start in Springfield, however.
In the American Hockey League for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams and currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for the league’s top scorer in 2016.
